Excavator supporting frame and traction means therefor



' Mrch 4, 1924. n 1,485,945 S. R. W. M. BAGER EXCAVAVTOR SUPPORTING FRAME AND TRACTION MEANS THEREFOR INVENTOR.

SR. BHGER v ATTORNEY.

March 4 1924.

S. R. W. M. BAGR EXCAVTOR SUPPORTING FRAME AND TRACTION MEANS THEREFOR Filed Feb.l v. 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 4, 1924..

SVANTE n. w. Ia. Baena, or SOUTH rarLwAUKnnwISCONSIN, assrGINon '130.i3Ucjrti`s"" COMPANY, or SOUTH rainwaunnn, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION. or .WSOONSIN nxoAvATon SUPPORTING FRAME AND TROTI'ON MNSTO.

Application med February 7, 1921. seiiaiNb. 443,106.

To ali fau/tom t may concern.'

Be it lrnown that l, SvaN'rn R. W. M. BAGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of South Milwaukee, in the county of Mil- 7anhee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Excavator Supporting Frames and Traction Means Therefor; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention pertains to the genera-l class of excavators and digging machinery and relates particularly to new and useful improvements in the manner of constructing and mounting different parts of such machinery.

l.Vhile the general construction of excavating machinery for dierent purposes is more or less similar, there are various minor differences which have heretofore rendered it impractical to build a single machine for all purposes, although it has been more or less possible to rebuild minor parts as where it is desirable to convert a railway machine to a caterpillar driven machine, or one with ordinary ground-engaging wheels.

Vt is therefore a fundamental object of this invention to provide a main or supporting frame of such construction that it may be readily accommodated for use with various types of traction mechanism. ln ether words the simple changing of the traction mounting means will selectively convert the frame from' one for use with an excavator adapted to operate on railway tracks to one driven by caterpillar belts, or equipped with convential ground-engaging wheels.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide a ground traction mechanism for machinery of this character with suc-h means that its steering wheels may be selectively placed close to the main supporting frame to considerably reduce the overall width of the machine for transporta tion purposes, or space such wheels from the frame to allow for proper steering operations.

t is further an object of the invention to provide a machine having traction means of this character in which the steering axle is usually tiltable, with means for rigidly iixing the main supporting frame and a-Xle together when'the excavatingvlor other chinery carried by the former'is infop'eraf' tion. D y

It is likewise an Objectof this invention l to provide the ground-'engaging "wheelsiof the traction mechanism withr r'elativelywide tread surfaces,the outer edges of which' ex# tend beyond the 0116erwards''0ffthiwheei'l hubs and the? adjacent ends 0f theaxies for' protective purposes.'` U

.Vith the foregoing'impoitant objects.x in"A View the invention resides'iii the novelffeatf ures of construction,Y combination andai'-- rangement of parts which lwillhe, he'reii' after more particularly" described 'and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 represents aplan View of one of the standardized covertible main supportingI frames of an excavator or similarY machine and provided with ground :wheel traction mechanism; n a

Figure 2 is a side elevational View, partly in section, of the structure shown `in Figure l;

Figure 3 kis a transverse sectional jview on the plane of the line 3,-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4c is a similarview, the illustrated wheel beingpositioned in its inoperative po- Sition as when arranged for transportation;

Figure 5 is a detail transversesectional View through the standardized lmain supl porting frame showing a jack-arm mounted thereon, and

Figure 6 is a view Somewhat similar to Figure 5 showing the uuse of a caterpillar Y wheel carrying bracket mounted thereon.

Referring more particularly to the draw:` ings, it will be seen that they standardized frame which can be convertedy for use in connection with various types o-fexcavator or similar machinery traction mechanisms includes a pair o f longitudinal side bars or sills l spaced apart a suitable distance and connected at their ends by a pair of `endvj 8 to the several cover plates and is thus re# tained in proper relation to the different elements of the main frame. rlhe rack and track. member includes inwardlyy extending` radial arms 9 which merge into a central bearing sleeve 10, and the portions of these arms adjacent their connection with the annular portion of the casting 7 are transversely widened to provide attaching plates 11k which overlie the transverse bars 3. The

central bearing sleeve 10 receives a vertical propulsion shaft 12 which is connected with the machinery7 drive mechanism (not shown), and the upper end of said sleeve also forms a trunnion for the revolving frame (also not shown) which rests on the track portion of the casting 7.

'lhe rack and track casting is further secured to the other parts of the frame by pairs olf tie bolts 13 which are passed through said attaching` plates 11, each pair of ysaid bolts straddling a respective transverse bar 3 and being connected at their lower ends by a suitable tie plate member. These bolts 13 obviously take up the tilting stresses involved in the operation -oi' the heavy machinery mounted on the main supporting frame and relieve such stresses from the various rivets, including the rivets 8. Increased rigidity of the front end 'of the main vsupporting frame is obtained b y mounting a combined bearing and bracing casting 14 between the front end bar 2 and the forward transverse bar 4 and securing the same midway of the ends of the latter. rlhis casting 14 obviously aidsin evenly distributing stresses imparted to the draw head 15.

rlhe foregoing described main supporting frame including the various side bars and rack and track member is standard for different types of traction mechanisms, and is Yreadily convertible from one to the other.

rlhe tie bolts 13 play an important part in the use of this frame, it being obvious that under all ccnditionsthey secure the different parts rigidly together, they being aided in lthis by the tie plate members by which their lower ends are connected together, which tie plate members bear against the lower flanges of the transverse bars 3. When the main supporting frame is arranged for use with ground wheel traction mechanism as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the tie plate members are merely in the form of flat plates 16, but on the other hand if a type of traction mechanism is employed which requires the use of a restraining means including the jack and jack-arm, as disclosed in the co pending application Serial Number,443,069, led February 7, 1921, a jack-arm sill 16 forms the tie plate member. As shown in Figure 5 and in said co-pending application, this sill 16 connects each longitudinally ar ranged pair ofV tie bolts and is engaged against the under sides of the bars 3. Furthermore when the main supporting frame is to be propelled by a caterpillar traction mechanism, as illustrated in the co-pending application Serial Y Number 443,164, filed February 7 1921, the tie plate member is provided by the inner end portion 16 of a wheel supporting cantilever bracket 17 (see Figure 6). rlhus it will be seen that while the main supporting frame is readily con-- vertible, its rigidity is maintained irrespective of the character of the traction mechanism employed therewith.

ln converting the main supporting frame to its different uses, it may also be necessary to change the front and rear axles, but such would involve merely common practice and would be made regardless of the construction or" the frame. For instance in the present application wherein is particularly shown the frame in use with ground-engaging wheels, the rear axle 18 is journally mounted in bearings 19 llxed to the side bars 1 at their rear ends. Intermediate the ends of the axle is disposed a beveled gear 20 which is meshed with a beveled pinion 21, the latter in turn being gear connected with a similar beveled pinion 22 on the lower end of the main propulsion shaft 12. Wheels 23 are mounted on the outer ends of theraxle 18 and are located relatively close to the side bars of the frame.

As is usual in structures of this character the front axle 24 is tiltable to compensate for various irregularities in the surface over which the machine passes, and this axle is supported in its center from the combination casting 14 hereinbefore described. This casting includes a bearing sleeve 25 which receives a vertical shaft or king-pin 26, the latter having an enlarged bifurcated head 27 on its lower end, the ears or furcations of which straddle the axle 24 and are pivotally connected therewith by a pin 28. The portion of the head of the king-pin 26 between the ears therecf is slightly convex as at 29, and the axle 24 bears against this portion which thus forms a rocking surface. Obviously this mounting of the axle permits tilting as well as steering movements to be effected, the latter being carried'out by means of suitable steering mechanism not shown.

risata f The opposite ends of the' axley 24; are pro- A vided with spindle portions 30 which are of considerably greater length than the length ofthe hubs 3l of the wheels 32. The wheels are retained lon the axle ends by means of retaining collars 33 preferably disposed in annular grooves cut in the extreme outer end portions of the spindles 30. When the machine is to be used, the wheels 32 are located at their outermost limits, or in lother words the outer ends of the hubs 31 abut the retaining collars 33, it being necessary to have the relative distance between the wheels and the space between the same and the adjacent side bars of the frame as great as possible so that effective steering of the front axle 24 may be carried out. Under such conditions said. wheels 32 are lretained at their outer limits by interposing spacing collars 34 between the inner ends of the hubs 3l and the inner ends of the spindles 30.

On the other hand when the parts of the machine are arranged for shipment on a railway flat car for instance, it is necessary to reduce the overall width of the machine as much as possible. Therefore the spacing collars 34 are removed from their normal positions at the inner ends of the hubs 3l and interposed between the outer ends of the hubs and the retainingV collars 33. This disposes the wheels 32 relatively close to the side bars of the main supporting frame and reduces the distance between such wheels as is obvious from an examination of Figure 4f.

The wheels 23 and 32 have relatively wide tread surfaces inasmuch as they are designed to support the weight of heavy machinery and to oftentimes move the same over rather soft ground. In the preferred embodiment of these wheels, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4, the hubs thereof are connected with the tread surfaces by a solid web extending from the inner edge of such tread surfaces. Thus the outer edges of the tread surfaces are disposed a considerable distance beyondv the outer ends of the hubs, and when the Wheels are in use, beyond the outer ends of the axles, thereby eectively protecting these parts against striking any obstructions which may be encountered during the movement of the machine.

, so as to properlyengage the opposed portions of the frame'and axle in the various 'relative positions which they may assume upon discontinuing propulsion of the machine.

by the provision of a longitudinally chan- Y neled boss 35. In view of the degree of relative movement which may occur between the axle ends and the frame side bars, the provision of a wedge having suiiicient variation of height to compensate for this movement and of sufficiently slight pitch to insure its frictional retention in place, would entail such length to the wedge as to render its manipulation rather` inconvenient. Therefore a series of wedge sections 36 is provided, the same being progressively increased in height and aording continuations of a common pitch face, and thereby constituting a wedge unit of suiicient length p to compensate for the range of relative movement between each end portion of the axle and the corresponding frame bars.

These wedge units 36 are carriedin trays 37 secured at the sides of the main supporting frame, hence when the machine is halted for operation o'f its main mechanism, the operator may select the necessary wedge unit section and place it in the channel 36, it being driven home to make a rigid connection. It is to be noted that the faces of the bosses 35 on each side of the channels thereof are quite wide, in the present instance extending outwardly of the edges of the lower flanges of the frame side bars, whereby it is possible in emergency to use wooden wedge members which would necessarily be of greater width than the channels which normally receive the metallic wedge sections. l

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that various changes andl modifications of structure may be employed to meet differing conditions of use and manufacture without departing in anyrmanner from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A supporting frame for heavy portable machinery comprising a-pair of side bars, a plurality of transverse connecting bars secured to the side bars, a superstructure track mounted on certain of said bars and connected with thesame, said track having a central opening, radial arms extending inwardly from the track, a central bearing sleeve having said arms secured thereto and supported thereby, tie bolts extended through said arms adjacent said track and engaged with certain of said transverse bars, and tie-plate members disposed -on the tiebolts beneath the last mentioned transverse bars'whereby said track, last mentioned bars and tie plates are bound rigidly together.

2. A. supporting frame for heavy portable machinery comprising a pair of side bars, a

pair of end bars connecting the sidebars, c

a pair of spaced intermediately disposed transverse bars connecting the said side bars, a substantially annular superstructure track mounted on the side and intermediate bars and secured thereto, substantially radially disposed attaching plate portions projecting from the track, a pair of tie bolts extending through each of said attaching plate portions, the bolts of each pair straddling one or the other of said transverse bars, and tie plate members disposed on the bolts beneath the last mentioned transverse bars whereby said track, last mentioned bars and tie plate members are bound rigidly together.

3. A convertible supporting frame for heavy portable machinery comprising a pair of longitudinal bars, a pair of transverse bars connecting said longitudinal bars, axles mounted on said frame adapted to selectively receive any of a plurality of types of traction mechanisms, a superstructure track comprising a rigid unit mounted upon said longitudinal and transverse bars, and a plurality of connections between said unit and each transverse bar to bind said bars rigidly to said unit and thus increase the rigidity of said trame, said connections including tie-bolts embracing said transverse bars and adapted to selectively receive and secure beneath said bars tie-plates, roller supporting brackets or jack-arm engaging sills.

4. A convertible supporting frame for heavy portable machinery comprising a pair of longitudinal bars, a pair of transverse bars connecting said longitudinal bars, a superstructure track comprising a rigid unit mounted upon said longitudinal and transverse bars, and a plurality of connections between said unit and said transverse bars to bind said bars rigidly to said unit and thus increase the rigidity of said frame, said connections comprising setspof tie-bolts extending downwardly rom said unit adjacent said transverse bars, and replaceable means connecting the lower ends of the tie-bolts of a set and bound thereby beneath said transverse bars.

5. ln heavy portable machinery for excavating, loading and the like, the combination of a pair of longitudinal bars, means including a pair of transverse bars connecting said longitudinal bars to form a substantially rectangular frame, a superstructure track comprising a rigid unit mounted upon said longitudinal and transverse bars, sets of tie-bolts connected with said unit and extending downwardly therefrom adjacent certain of said bars, and means connecting the tie-bolts of each set and bound thereby beneath said adjacent bars for binding said bars rigidly to said unit whereby insana@ the rigiditykof said unit is utilized Vto increase the rigidity of said frame.

6. ln heavy portable machinery for excavating, loading and the like, the combination of a pair of longitudinal sills, means including a air of transverse bars connecting said silll to form a substantially'rectangular frame, a rigid member constituting a superstructure track carried by said frame, and a plurality of rigid connections between said member and each of said bars to increase the rigidity of said frame, each of said connections extending through said member and embracing one of said Ears to bind said bars rigidly to said memer. Y

7. lnheavy portable machinery for excavating, loading and the like, the combination of a frame comprising a pair of longitudinal bars and a pair of transverse bars connected to said longitudinal bars, a circular superstructure track mounted on said longitudinal bars and transverse bars, said track comprising acasting having inwardly extending radial arms formed integral therewith, a pair of tie-bolts extending through each arm and embracing one of said transverse bars, and means connecting the tie-bolts of each pair and bound thereby beneath said transverse bar for binding said bars rigidly to said track whereby the rigidity of said track is utilized to increase Y the rigidity of said frame.

8'. ln a machine of the lcharacter described, the combination of two pairs of bars connected to form a rectangular frame, a rigid unit mounted on said bars and comprising a circular track havinga central hub portion integral therewith, and rigid connections between said unit and the bars of one pair whereby the rigidity of said unit is utilized to increase the rigidity of said frame.

9. In a machine of the character diescribed, the combination of a base frame, a rigid unit mounted on said frame, said unit comprising' a circular track portion adapted to support a revolving frame and a central hub portion adapted toreceive a vertical propulsion shaft driven from the revolving frame, and connections within the periphery of said track for securing said unit to said base frame.

10. ln a machine of the type in which a revolving head frame is employed, the combination of a rigid unit having a circular i track portion for supporting the trame and a central hub portion integral with said track, a vertical propulsion shaft journaled in said hub portion, and driven `from. the frame, a base frame for supporting said unit, and traction means on said base frame driven by said shaft.

l1. ln a machine of the character described the combination of two pairs of bars connected to form a rectangular frame, a circular track mounted thereon and providing a support for a revolving frame, a central shaft receiving bearing supported by said track and connected therewith to form a rigid unit, and means for binding said track to said bars to thereby utilize the rigidity of said track to increase the rigidity of said frame.

12. In a machine having a revolving frame, the combination of a base frame, traction means supporting said base frame,

vframe for driving said traction means, and

a central bearing for said shaft rigidly connected With and supported by said track.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Memphis,

in the county of Shelby and State of Tennesee.

SVANTE R. W. M. BAGER. 

